The Depth of Field podcast

Guest: Eric Kim

Released: Jun 13, 2012

Eric Kim says, for him street photography happened by chance. "I was standing at a bus stop and I saw a man with horn-shaped glasses reading a book. There was something so genuine and unique about the moment. My heart was palpitating and the second I brought my camera to my eye, he looked directly at me and I instinctively clicked. My heart froze, but I made my first street photograph, without even realizing it."

Eric Kim is another one of those “nice guy” photographers. There is not a lot of ego to have to sidestep to hear honest views and listen to his story. I appreciated that. Eric seemed to be open and willing to have his ideas and thoughts challenged or at the very least poked that by me in this interview. We talked at great length about his definition of street photography and we got into the differences between social documentary and social commentary in photography. I think you will enjoy getting to know Eric, I know I did. You may not agree with his approach or all of his views but you'll definitely learn to respect the man. Eric travels the world teaching people to face their fears by photographing strangers in some of the most interesting and challenging places. He's done collaborations with Magnum as well as the Invisible Photographer. His motto is “Always shoot with a smile, and from the heart area.”